Planetary gear wheel for power vehicles



-Nov. 17, 1931.

G. WEBER PLANETARY GEAR WHEEL FOR POWER VEHICLES File Aug. i125, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l i551, moan/1M #05u/ww@ Nov. 17, 1931.

G. l.. WEBER APIJNETARY GEAR WHEEL FOR POWER VEHICLES Filed Aug. 23, 1927 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 George L. Weber;

Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES GEORGE VL. WEBER, O1? PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA PLANETARY GEAR WHEEL FOR POWER VEHICLES Application filed August 23,1927. Serial No. 214,966.

This invention relates to power transmitting mechanism, and more particularly to a drive and steering wheel for vehicles of the self-propelled type.

Itis one of the objects of the present invention to provide a wheel for a vehicle in which connections are incorporated whereby power may be transmitted from a driving shaft directly to the wheel structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the pivotal connection of the wheel with respect to the driving axle.

Another object Yofthe invention is to provide a wheel structure for vehicles including a pivoted spindle connected to a suitable driving shaft and which is combined with a gear organization mounted on and pivoting with the wheel.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a driving wheel embodying a gear set of the planetary type so constructed, designated and organized to provide for two speeds and a reverse ofthe wheel with respect to its driving spindle. c

Another object is to provide articulated connections operable from a suitable control station on a vehicle, for instance, for selectively locking Athe gears in desired relation.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for accomplishing the disconnection of the driven gears in the wheels or in one of the wheels from'the driving spindle of the wheel when one of the wheels is swiveled bodily in a turning function of the vehicle so as to enclutch the driving spindle from the driven gear and to provide for the automatic action of this clutching of the driving and driven elements when the wheel swivels o castors.

With'these and other objects in view, as will be rendered manifestvto those skilled in the art, the invention consists of the construction, the combination, and in details and arrangements of the parts as more particularly described in the following specification relative to an embodiment of the invention, illustrated in dierent forms in the accompanving drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a front axl structure provided with castoring or steer substantially on the line show a form of articulatedjoint between the ing wheels, oneV of which is broken away `through its center plane perpendicular to its axis, whilst the other of which is broken away at its top portion to show the adjacent parts. c

Figure 2 is a detail' longitudinalcentral section through the wheel hub and knuckle organization.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional and plan view 3-3 of Figure 2 to i clutch shifting device. Y

Figure l is a detail sectional view subi stantially on line 4-4 ofFigurej'Z showing means for automatically disconnecting the clutch when a respective wheel becomes the pivoting wheel when the vehicle is in the course of turning.

In Figure 1, 2 represents a suitabley axle structure in the form of a tubular housing, at a suitable location on which there is encased aV worm or screw 3 fast on a driving shaft 4f which may be driven from any suitable source of power, as for instance, an engine mounted upon the vehicle of which the axle 2 may form a part. The worm 3 engages and constantly drives, whilst the engine is running, a worm wheel 5 which is secured on an innervshaft 6 extending through the housing and terminating at the lknuckle trunnions 7-7 in a suitable connection, here shown as a universal joint 8 from which extends a wheel spindle 9, of

which there` is one at each end of the axle shaft 6.

The center of the universal joint 8 alines with the center of the steering knuckle 10 journaled in the trunnion 7 this knuckle comprising an outwardly extending sleeve 10 shown as slotted at 11 to receive a portion of the gear controls to be later described and thence continuing and carrying a set of ball bearings 12 on which ride the hub 13 carrying spokes 14 of wheels indicated at 15-15,(Figure 1'). The outer end of each wheel hub 13 is shown as provided with exterior gear teeth 16 engaging respective teeth 17 of a reverse gear-block 18 having another set of gear teeth 19 which latter engagea" gear loosely mounted on the hollow sleeve 10. The reverse gear block 18 of which there may be a suitable number is mounted loosely on a trunnion 2l, of which there is one Jfor each gear block 18, these trunnions extending parallel to the driving spindle 9 and uniting at their outer ends with radial arms 22 projected from a disk or hub 23 loosely mounted on the reduced end 9 of the spindle 9. The carrier, comprising the disk or hub 23 with its trunnions 21 is preferably closed in a cap 25 threaded at 26 on to a complementary portion of the hub 13 which overhangs the reverse pinions 18. Set parallel to these gears and loosely mounted on the trunnions 21 there are low speed gears 29 designed to intern'iesh with another low speed gear which also is loosely mounted on the spindle sleeve lO in a position adjacent the reverse gear 20 and the gears 29 are also provided to be positively interlocked to the carrier which includes the trunnions Q1 by suitable means as for instance through a series of teeth 31 designed to engage alocking lever 32 pivoted at 33 on the respective trunnions :21 and operative in a manner to be later described.

To secure rotation of the carrier 23 this latter is shown as provided with one element 35 ot a disk clutch structure 36 which includes a tace ring 37 bearing against the out er of the rings 36 and adapted to be shifted to produce the desired friction between the disks through means of the levers 38 pivoted at 39 on the trunnions 21 and adapted to be shifted outwardly through means ot a shift ring 40 slidably mounted on the outer end of. the driving spindle 9 and here shown as connected to a pair of shift rods 41 extending along the spindle 9 and thence directed outwardly in the slots 11 to connect with arms 42 provided with cam-engaging ends L13 sliding in internal cams all shown as in the form of grooves each having a portion la. concentric with the center of the steering knuckle 10 and having an eccentric portion 44h disposed to the rear of a line parallel to the axis ot the driving axle so that when the wheel yith its spindle 9 is turned about the knuckle joint, the cam-engaging member d3, when riding into the eccentric cam-portion la, will act to automatically retract the clutch rods 4:1, whereupon the disk el() will be pulled inwardly to relieve the pressure upon the clutch levers 38 and the clutch rendered inoperative, so that one of the wheels 15 which is the inside wheel when making a turn with the vehicle is rendered inoperative whilst the opposite wheel is left in driving connection by reason of the cani-engaging portion 43 of its respective clutch rods l-l swinging concentric to the center oit the y knuckle or steering joint and is therefore permitted to remain in driving relation at the clutch.

To secure manual selection of low speed, high speed or reverse drive of the wheel through the planetary gears hereinbofore described, the gear Q0 is provided with a keyway 2OiL and the gear 30 is provided with a keyway 30, and the latter is also provided with an annular way 30". rfliere is shown as slidably mounted on the clutch rods 4.1, gear shift rods each olf which is provided at its outer end with a key 5l designed to he shifted by inward movement toward the wheel into the kcyway 20 in the reverse gear 2O or to be shifted by outward movement from the wheel into the keyway 30 oii the low speed gear 3() with the obvious result of' locking the selected ot these gears to the non-rotative sleeve l0 on which the wheel mounted so that in the instance of the gear 2() then the reverse gears 18 engaging thc gear 20 will cai c the rotation oi the carrier with its trunnions il with respect to the hrb 13, and this latter will be driven at a dilfcrcntial speed with respect to thc now lixcd gear 20 as the reverse pinions 18 roll around the sun gear 320. Then the low speed gear 30 is locked to the spindle 10 and becomes the sun gear then the carrier trunnions will roll around the sun gear and the gears 29 will drive the hub 13 at a low speed but in a direction reverse to tl'iat produced through the driving action oil the reverse gears 18.

To obtain a high speed connection between the driving axle 9 and the carrier trimnions 21, it is only necessary to shift the locking rods 50 outward until the end of the keyv or rods 50 engage a disk 52 slidahlj-v mounted on the spindle 9, after which this disk 52 can he shifted outwardly 'from the wheel and against the levers 32 so that they will inter look with the gears 29, whereupon a direct drive between the wheel organization and the spindle 9 elleoted through tae clutch 36. lnternosed between the high speed disk and the clutch disk l0 there is an expansion spring 53 having` the purpose oiE normally closing the friction clutch 36 and throvfiur.' the high speed disk 52 so that it will. throi.k its connection with the levers 3Q, disconnect the latter from the gears Q9.

To secure the longitudinal movement oi.

the locking rods 5G may be desired, these latter are extended inwardly toward the steering knuckle and then outwardly where they are connected to radial arms 55 which are bent ainrularl.)v at 5G and connected tln'ough a suitable flexible means here shown as a short section of chain 5'?, the other end ot which is connected to angle arm ot shit't rod 59, two ot which are clearly shown in Figure 1 mounted on sleeves GO ot which there is one slidably mounted on and adi t each end ot the housing These sleeves are each shown as connef.:ted to shitthars J1 having pins 62 engaging slotted arms G3 o; levers 64 which arc plv/ated at 55 on thc hows lil() ing 2, the long arms of the levers 64 being directed toward each other and connected at a common joint 66 to the end of a controller rod 67 which may extend to any suitable operators station or seat on the vehicle and may be operated either by hand leverl or pedal as may be desired.

In operation, the controlling rod 67 may be shifted by the operator to the position shown in Figure 1 at which time the various shift connections between this rod 61 and the locking keys 51 relative to each wheel will be so disposed that the keys 51 are in a neutral relation with respect to the sun gears 20-20 and the clutch 36 is in its normal or closed and driven relation with respect to the carrier 23 so that the latter is driven idly by the rotation of the spindle 9. If the operator desires to back the car, it is only necessary to pull the control rod 67 which will bring the shift levers 64-64 back to the dotted line position X and the several keys 51 will be locked to the reverse pinions 2O and the vehicle will be caused to back. If it be desired to shift into the low speed forward drive, the operator shifting the rod 67 to the neutral position shown in Figure 1 has only to shift the rod forwardly which will swing the levers 64 forwardly to the position Y whereupon the several locking keys 41 will be shifted into locking position with the low speed gears 3() and the wheels will be .driven forwardly at low speed. Finally, to select the high speed, the operator again shifts the rod 67 forwardly to the position marked Z (Figure 1) which causes the keys 51 to be shifted from locking position with the gears 30 into the ways 30h and against the high speed disk 52 whereupon the latter is thrown and locks the levers 32 to the respective gears 29.

It will be seen by the utilization of a ilexible connection between the arms 56 and 58 which control the locking keys 51 that irrespective of the turning movement of the wheel spindle bodily and angularly about the axis of the knuckle spindle 10, there will be no disconnection or change of position of the locking keys 51 and the drive will be continuous through the locked element but in the event of a turning movement of the vehicle that wheel which is on the inside of t-he turn will be automatically disconnected by the release of pressure at the clutch 36 through the action of the cam 44 on the arms 42, but as the driving spindles 9 are brought into axial alignment with the driving axle 6, the clutch is again closed for driving purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of a hollow axle including a steering knuckle hav- V ing a stationary part; a wheel hub mounted to turn with the axle; a drive shaft, a spindle flexibly connected to said drive shaft inthe axis of the steering knuckle, a carrier mounted to turn freely on the shaft; arms in the hub borne by said carrier planetary gears on the arms, in mesh with sun gears and hub gears for transmitting power from the arms to the hub; a clutch for transmitting power from the shaft to the arms; and a shifting member extending through the axle and cooperating with the stationary part of the steering knuckle, for operating the clutch.

2. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of hollow axle including a steering knuckle having a stationary part; a wheel hub mounted to turn with the axle; a drive shaft, a spindle flexibly connected to said drive shaft in the axis of said steering knuckle, entering the hub; transmission gears in the hub; a clutch inthe hub; a cam on the stationary part of of the steering knuckle; and a shifting member cooperating with the cam and extending through the axle, for releasing the clutch when the wheel is swivelled in one direction. In testimony whereof I axmy signature.

GEO. L. WEBER. 

